User Input

User Input

You can read what the user types using the Console class.

Read a line of text

Console.ReadLine() reads the next line the user types:

Console.WriteLine("Enter username:");
string userName = Console.ReadLine();
Console.WriteLine("Username is: " + userName);

Read a number

Console.ReadLine() always returns a string. To work with a number, convert it:

Console.WriteLine("Enter your age:");
int age = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());
Console.WriteLine("Your age is: " + age);

Parse vs Convert

Both int.Parse() and Convert.ToInt32() turn text into an int:

int a = int.Parse("10");
int b = Convert.ToInt32("10");

If the input isn't a valid number, these throw an exception - you'll learn to handle that later.

Simple calculator example

Console.WriteLine("Enter x:");
int x = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());
Console.WriteLine("Enter y:");
int y = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());
Console.WriteLine("Sum is: " + (x + y));

TL;DR

• Console.ReadLine() reads a line of text (a string).
• Convert the string with Convert.ToInt32() to get a number.
• ReadLine always returns a string first.